Miscarriage: the facts and figures

Unfortunately, miscarriages are a common setback on the road to becoming a parent. Many women experience the heartbreak of losing a pregnancy, while others just spend a lot of time and energy worrying about it.

While it’s completely normal for a woman to feel anxious about the health of her unborn baby, independent midwife, Melissa Maimann, says that there is nothing you can do to prevent a miscarriage from occurring. “Most early miscarriages are related to a chromosomal abnormality in the baby, and not to anything a woman may or may not have done”, she says.

So, how common are miscarriages, what symptoms are you likely to experience during a miscarriage, and once you have had a miscarriage, how will this effect your ability to fall pregnant again the future?

Miscarriage statistics

Because some women miscarry before they even know they are pregnant, it is very difficult to get a completely accurate miscarriage rate. Since we don’t know how many women miscarry before having a pregnancy test, some figures suggest that as many as one in three pregnancies end in miscarriage.

However, it is estimated for women who know they are pregnant, one in five pregnancies will end in miscarriage by the twentieth week of pregnancy.

The good news is that the further into the pregnancy you are, the less chance you have of miscarrying. Most miscarriages occur before the thirteenth week of pregnancy.

Pregnancy symptoms or miscarriage signs?

While mild cramping and light bleeding are not symptoms what you want to experience in early pregnancy, these are not necessarily signs that you are having a miscarriage. About one in four women experience these symptoms in the early weeks, and many go on to have healthy pregnancies and babies.

There are many reasons, other than miscarriage, for bleeding in early pregnancy:

Implantation bleeding, which occurs when the fertilised egg attaches itself to wall of the uterus

Breakthrough bleeding, which is due to altering hormone levels and occurs at the time you might expect your period. Breakthrough bleeding is usually a lot lighter than your normal period and only lasts a day or two

Fibroids or polyps in the uterus

An infection

Bleeding caused by any of these things will not harm your baby. However, “it’s a good idea to seek the advice of your midwife or obstetrician and they can determine if further help is required”, says Maimann.

If bleeding or cramping is severe, or you are passing lumpy clots, it is important to see your doctor or go to hospital as soon as you can. This is probably a sign that you are having a miscarriage.

After a miscarriage

There is no evidence to suggest that having one miscarriage makes you more likely to have another one. Most women who have a miscarriage go on to have a healthy baby the next time they fall pregnant. Doctors are not likely to carry out fertility tests on a woman unless she has had 3 or 4 miscarriages in a row. Even then, the results may not provide any definite reasons for pregnancy loss.

Staying healthy

Whilst there is nothing you can do to prevent a miscarriage from happening, there are certain things you can do to give yourself the best chance of having a healthy pregnancy:

Try not to have any caffeinated drinks – if you can’t go without caffeine, try not to have more than one cup per day

Avoid any unnecessary medications – make sure your clear anything you are taking with your doctor/midwife

To give your baby the best possible start in life, Maimann suggests scheduling a preconception appointment with a midwife or obstetrician, who can take a complete health history of both parents, and alert you to any health issues that can be rectified before pregnancy. A preconception visit is also a good opportunity to have a pap smear, check your immunisation status and determine whether you need to make any changes to your diet or lifestyle.